Turkey's most powerful businesswoman, Sabanci took over as board chairman of the Sabanci conglomerate in May 2004 after the death of chairman Sakip Sabanci, her uncle, who made it clear he wanted only his niece, and neither of his two brothers nor any of their numerous male offspring to succeed him. A reformed chain smoker, Sabanci is a strong advocate of Turkey joining the European Union. Formerly head of the group's tire production division, which she joined in 1978, Sabanci also looks after Sabanci University, which the family established in the mid-1990s on the outskirts of Istanbul. She also runs a private vineyard with an uncle under the Tracia brand. When asked in a recent interview if it's difficult to be a woman in the business world today, Sabanci replied: "If women act normal, they will receive normal treatment."—Allison Fass

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Published sources include the women's official biographies, Factiva, International Who's Who of 2006, Marquis Who's Who, World Almanac of Famous People, Palgrave Who's Who 2006, the Congressional Yellow Book, the Judicial Yellow Book, Europa World Year Book, Hoover's Online, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings, World Economic Forum, the World Book Encyclopedia. Rankings generated by combining various financial figures with other media and biography metrics; global media mentions from Factiva.